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NFL Draft sleeper, RB Akrum Wadley, is a player to watch for 2018. Justin Carter breaks down the pros and cons of the Iowa running back as a dynasty prospect.
There's been a lot of talk about the top running backs in the upcoming NFL Draft and how they'll end up finding their place in the league and on fantasy rosters, but there's a whole host of other players below the surface who could carve out roles at the NFL level.
One of those running backs is Iowa's Akrum Wadley, who enters the draft after four years with the Hawkeyes and a pair of 1,000-yard seasons. Wadley is 5'11'' and 191 pounds. Though his height shouldn't be a major issue at the professional level, he'll likely need to add some weight to deal with the increased level of physicality. For example, LeSean McCoy is 5'11'', but he's listed at 215 pounds.
In this space, I'll explain why Wadley is a potential dynasty sleeper and player to watch at the NFL Combine and Draft in the coming months.
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Why Wadley Is One to Watch
Wadley was useful in both the run game and the passing game at Iowa, though his senior season stats as a rusher showed a marked decrease in yards per carry, from 6.4 as a junior down to just 4.4 as a senior. At the same time, Wadley's yards per reception jumped from 8.8 to 12.6. He found the end zone 13 times during his junior year and 13 more times as a senior. Both seasons featured 10 rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns and Wadley's total scrimmage yardage was nearly identical, with 1396 as a junior and 1,462 as a senior. Wadley ranked fifth in the Big 10 last season in yards from scrimmage.
A case for Wadley as a fantasy sleeper depends on the back being able to play like he did in some of his better Hawkeye moments. Wadley's 32-touch, 190-yard, two-touchdown performance against Iowa State back in September is a good place to look to see how Wadley can be used as a weapon at the next level. He can struggle at times trying to run the ball between the tackles, but his quickness allows him to make things happen when he gets to the edge. Wadley has the patience to wait for things to develop and enough burst to hit the holes once they do.
Another thing the tape of that game shows? Wadley can leap! He scores from one yard out by jumping over the goal line, which is one way to make up for his otherwise average skills as an inside runner. Wadley's second touchdown of the game came on a 46-yard reception, a play in which the back got open in the middle of the field and then cut toward the sideline, eventually breaking a couple of tackles and dragging his way into the end zone.
Warts? Naturally
The downside for Wadley is pretty obvious: he's small and struggles at some of the things you look for in a possible every down back. Against Michigan State last season, Wadley ran the ball 17 times for just 30 yards. The Spartan defense was able to get into the backfield quickly and Wadley wasn't able to adjust. Aside from one strong touchdown run where the back was able to find a hole and make a couple of quick cuts, Wadley was bottled up. While his patience as a runner can be great in the right situation, it also makes him susceptible to big losses against defenses that are geared up to beat him, though this might not be that big of a deal at the NFL level if Wadley ends up being used as a change-of-pace back.
At Iowa, Wadley ran in a pro-style offense that used zone blocking schemes. There are a few RB-needy teams that used zone blocking extensively last season--notably, San Francisco and Seattle could use upgrades to their running games and could look at Wadley in the middle rounds. He'd be useful, for example, playing behind someone like Carlos Hyde and coming in to provide a spark in the passing game.
Depending on the situation Wadley ends up in, he could be a good pickup in rookie drafts. His college stats show him trending upwards as a receiver, giving him strong upside in PPR leagues. Wadley isn't an every-down running back and would likely struggle if a team drafted him with the intent of using him in such a way, but he has a place in the NFL if a team is able to scheme for him to operate out in space. Wadley's sure hands and knack for making big plays could make him a steal in 2018.
